It’s about time the government launched a unified RFID system for our expressways. Crossing different ex-pressways on the way to a single destination has long been a challenge to me, a senior citizen. Not only do you need to remember which RFID system card to flash—since sometimes the system treats your RFID like a myste-rious stranger and refuses to read it—but you also have to keep track of your account balance.

For daily expressway users, this might be just a minor nuisance. But for those of us who only hop on the ex-pressway occasionally—maybe during a road trip or an emergency dash out of town—it can cause real anxiety. Honestly, it feels like trying to remember a secret code you only use once a year... and forgetting half of it every time.

Take me, for example. I often worry about my RFID balance. I’m pretty sure the last time I checked it was sometime when my son did that for me when was still living in the Philippines. And that was more than two years ago. So, when I suddenly decide to take the Skyway to the airport, my brain goes into panic mode: “Wait, when was the last time I loaded my RFID? And don’t get me started on remembering which RFID card to use — it's like a game show where the prize is not getting stuck at a toll booth!

Under the present system, motorists had to juggle multiple RFID tags. AutoSweep was for Skyway, TPLEX, and SLEX, while Easytrip covered NLEX, SCTEX, and CAVITEX. This forced drivers to remember multiple ac-counts and reload different balances—a recipe for confusion, frustration, and occasional road rage, especially for me, a senior citizen.

The system demanded that motorists become part-time accountants and part-time memory champions.

One golden rule was: never drive onto an expressway without checking your balance. But wouldn’t it be amazing if expressway management could install a balance checker right before the toll booth? Imagine a friendly little scanner flashing your balance in real-time, so you can reload your account before you even start sweating at the booth. It could save a lot of panic and delays.

Thankfully, the government has now announced the “One RFID, All Tollways” system—a huge win for driv-ers everywhere. With this, motorists only need one RFID sticker to breeze through all major expressways in Lu-zon: Skyway, South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), STAR Tollway, Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX), Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAx), Muntinlupa–Cavite Expressway (MCX), North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), NLEX Connector, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX), Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (CAVITEX), and C5 Southlink.

President Marcos Jr. highlighted the government's dedication at the launch, saying, “We listened to the concerns of the people, so we studied the problem and found a good solution to address their concern. Starting today, only one RFID sticker will be needed for all our toll expressways across Luzon.”

While adopting the unified RFID is voluntary, it’s strongly encouraged. Since last year, penalties have been imposed on vehicles without valid RFID tags or insufficient load—starting at ₱1,000 for the first offense, esca-lating to ₱5,000 for repeat violations. This enforcement ensures everyone stays compliant and the system runs smoothly.

Looking ahead, I truly hope expressway management considers installing those pre-entry balance readers. Nothing beats seeing your balance flash before you commit to a toll, preventing surprises and saving time. It could be the perfect partner for the “One RFID” system, turning the anxiety of toll payments into a smooth cruise.

Then we can all forget our RFID worries and just enjoy the drive. (Email: [email protected])